A Fascination with Difference
by Cynthia Cross
Summary: They call him Chat Noir. But that is not the name his mother gave him. It's human nature to fear something different. Or to be fascinated by it. Adrien was born different. Everyone he could see bore beautiful mutations. Delicate, insect wings. Glimmering, reptile scales. Hair with the delightful orange of a fox's coat. All beautiful, except for him.


' _You Tremble from the Cold'_

A crisp breeze blew across the small town, a dark cloud being swept in over the rooftops. Millions of snowflakes lulled their way through the air, piercing the thick smog. As they inhaled, the villagers felt their lungs burn, the frigid air scraping in and out of their noses and mouths. A simple tune echoed throughout the silent town, gaining the attention of the common people. People of all ages gathered towards the innocent melody, their interests peaked as they discovered a small group of carriages rolling towards the outskirts. The wheels pushed through the piling snow, deep track marks suggesting that the seemingly basic luggage was in fact undoubtedly hefty.

"Come one, come all! The Miraculous Circus of Wonders is here for your entertainment!" A jovial voice rang out, the peaceful atmosphere disturbed.

Among the front of the crowd stood a young girl, her hair the color of the midnight sky. Her inky locks were pulled together at the top of her head into a bun, loose strands that had fallen out now framed her neck and face, her skin an enchanting shade of ivory, as smooth as silk. Two thin, black wires stood tall from behind her hairline, both curving slightly and ending with miniscule, black tufts. Her stunning features were only complimented by the light dusting of tiny spots slightly darker than her creamy skin, retaining her look of childlike innocence. A warm breath escaped her chapped lips, a hand covered by a wooly mitten brought up to her scarf that wrapped securely around her petite neck, lightly holding onto it as if it would blow away like a leaf in the wind.

The cheeky voice rang out again. "Come see our abnormal wonders! Find yourself to be fascinated by _Le Chat Noir,_ birthed from a woman of variegated, ornate feathers, though he is a boy of monstrous, half-formed mutations," The girl, Marinette, let her eyes wander, finding the owner of the voice, his voice itself becoming drone to her ears.

He had to at least be thirty, the lines that littered his face seemed to stem from laughter and smiles. He seemed to be a people pleaser. He was fitted wonderfully into a three piece suit, a color of ebony with an accent of jade green. His shoes were an equal black that shone with water from the little snow on the trail. With his matching black hair gelled back and his mesmerizing eyes that matched his suit's accent color, he was indeed a showman, a gentleman's top hat completing the look.

As Marinette observed him, the rest of his spiel seemed to go on. She listened to his voice, but did not comprehend a single word he spoke. She was snapped out of her observations when his voice stopped and others around her began to slowly trickle in towards the carts the man claimed to hold freaks of nature.

As the crowd, Marinette did the same.

' _You Struggle to Stay Warm'_

The cage sat alone in the front carriage, bare and pathetic. Glorious blue orbs scanned the piles of hay covering the floorboards, if one was not looking hard enough, they would not notice the head of golden hair that desperately tried to blend in with the floor's bedding. The man from before thwacked the cage bars with a large wooden cane. The piercing sound rang out in an echo. The sound of the bars rattling like someone's chattering teeth. A young looking boy rose up, a face with lustrous green eyes as chilling as the winter snow shining behind locks of gold. Green seemed to notice blue, the young girl closest to the cage.

Like everyone else, she stared. But unlike everyone else, she gazed. Everyone looked at him with a sense of oddity. She looked at him with a sense of beauty. Everyone looked at him with fascination. She looked at him with allure. Everyone saw him as a scientific anomaly. She saw him as a boy in need of a friend.

The girl slowly drifted closer to the cage that held the young boy, enraptured by his lovely appearance but pitying his sickly situation. The crowd behind her didn't seem to notice her wandering closer, as their focus was intently on the boy, fascinated by him as an anomaly- not recognizing him as another child.

The girl's petite hand raised to the front of the bars, her fingers lightly brushing against the metal as frigid as the air. The boy flinched at first, a look of distrust and anxiety plaguing his features. It was something a young child shouldn't even be capable of. His reaction struck a pain in the girl's chest, however she still gave him a soft smile.

The warmth in her eyes and comfort in her smile quilted the boy from the raw atmosphere, the chill in his bones long forgotten.

The cane swooped down once more and the harsh bang reverberated into the night.

The boy's eyes filled with terror, jumping back and away from the bars. The girl inhaled a sharp breath, yanking her hand away from the metallic bars and buried into the warmth of her chest.

"Please, do refrain from laying your paws on the cage," The showman with jade green eyes had returned, "It upsets the anomalies, it really does."

The people had begun to disperse, going home for the night.

As the crowd, Marinette did the same.

' _You Wish for More Hope'_

Tonight, the sky was clear. There was no dark cloud hovering above. There was not one snowflake that fell from the sky. There were no harsh winds. Even so, the air was still crisp and fresh, lungs still burned as they inflated and deflated. The tracks were still prominent in the snow that had fallen the night before. There was a comfortable silence throughout the village. Though it was late, the show was not open yet. Even so, the crunch of snow was steady and repetitive.

Small footprints were made as a tiny figure made its way towards the cages. Her silky, black hair fell onto her shoulders, held in loosely braided pigtails. Pink dusted her pearly cheeks as she huffed out, tiny clouds escaping her mouth each time. The antennae that sprung from her hair had curled up in an attempt to stay warm. In her hands, she clutched a hat, knit with black and green yarn, but with an awful number of mistakes. It was misshapen, and the color of the yarn was faded and worn. The hat was terribly simple. But, it was enough to provide someone with warmth.

Marinette approached the familiar cage with hay for padding. She approached it with caution because she could not see the head of golden hair. Though, somehow, she knew he was there, watching her with the same caution she held. Her lips parted.

"Hi there, my name is Marinette," Nothing in the cage moved. She continued to speak. "You must be so cold. I made you something, my mama is still teaching me, so it isn't the best," Still, no movement. "I hope you like it, though." After a few minutes that really felt like hours, Marinette stuck the hat in between two bars and turned around. She began to slink away from the cage to return home, but when she got to the road, she couldn't help but to look back. A smile of pure joy and innocence formed on her rosy lips. Eyes with the color of the ocean twinkled like the moon was reflecting in them.

The hat had been taken from the bars, and now sat securely on top of a head buried in the hay.

' _Hold Onto Some of Mine'_


End file.
